


The Dress

by tinacita



Category: The White Queen (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-11
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-12 18:50:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2120844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinacita/pseuds/tinacita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Richard & Anne's wedding day ...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> many special thanks to annetheseamaiden for her prompt, guidance & encouragement!!

He kept looking at the clock on the mantle. It was almost as if time had stopped – it was torturous. He walked back to the mirror, rechecked his tie, made sure his cuff links were secure. He turned around as he heard his brother Edward laughing.

“Richard, you look fine. Stop fidgeting – you’re only making it worse.”

Richard said nothing, and looked at the group of well-dressed men occupying the room with him. There were his brothers, Edward, the oldest, still laughing at him, and George, who was miserable, as always. His 2 closest friends, Robert Brackenbury and Francis Lovell, smiled encouragingly at him.

Francis walked over to him, and patted Richard on the shoulder. “You’ve waited this long; 30 more minutes won’t kill you!”

“He looks half dead already! And he didn’t even stay up and drink with us last night!” said Edward, as he continued to tease his little brother.

“He misses his _precious little Anne_ ,” George said from his chair in the corner of the room. “You really need to man up about not being with her.”

Francis tightened his grip on Richard’s shoulder before he could get across the room and hit his brother. “He’s not worth it,” whispered Francis. “Anne wouldn’t want you to let _him_ upset you.”

Richard took a deep breath, and nodded at Francis. “Very true. You have the rings, right?” This was the 4th time Richard had asked him in the last hour, which prompted a hearty laugh from his best friend. “Yes, Richard, I have the rings. They haven’t moved since the last time you asked.”

He smiled. “I just want everything to be perfect. Anne is so excited. All she kept talking about this week was how her dream was finally coming true, and what a special day this was going to be, for both of us. She told me that Nan hired a whole team to do their hair and makeup, because Anne mentioned that she wanted to be a vision as she walked down the aisle… _a vision just for me_ …”

“Ugh! This is sickening!” said George as he got up to pour himself a drink. “Thank God this will be over soon!”

Richard glared at his brother, and before he could respond, Robert said, in a calm but stern voice, “Sit down and leave him be. We should all be so fortunate to have what they have.”

“Besides George, nobody forced you to be here. You could’ve refused,” Edward said, annoyed.

Richard looked at the clock again. Only a few minutes had passed, but it felt like an hour. He turned again as he heard someone knock on the door.

“Richard, darling? May I come in?” He rolled his eyes at the sound of his mother’s voice, and walked to open the door for her.

She smiled as he opened the door, and sighed. Cecily couldn’t help think how much he looked like his late father. As the tears started to cloud her vision, she touched her son’s cheek and walked into the room. Robert immediately walked over to her, offering his handkerchief.

“Thank you Robert.” After she regained her composure, she turned to look at them. “I just wanted to wish you all good luck. I still can’t believe my little boy is getting married today…”

George sneered as Francis, Robert and Edward chuckled. “I know. And I know what you were thinking,” Richard said, taking his mother’s hand. “I was thinking about him too, and Edmund …”

The mood in the room became somber. Richard rarely mentioned his father, his brother even less. It had been a number of years since they died, but the pain he still felt was, at times, unbearable, which was something he’d only shared with Anne.

Edward got up and hugged them both. “They’re both smiling down on you & Anne today, little brother. Now will you please relax? Everything is going to be fine.”

Richard smiled at them both, and glanced at the clock … 20 more minutes.

Cecily was turning to leave when she stopped. “I almost forgot, darling. I have something for you from _your beautiful bride_.” At those 3 words, Richard’s heart began to pound in chest. He couldn’t wait to see her. He remembered how frustrated she’d been searching for the perfect dress. And how elated she’d been when she finally found it. He thought it was sweet that she was worried that _he_ wouldn’t like. He had told her that he didn’t care, but she said she wanted to be _his vision…_

He was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear Cecily yelling at him until Edward slapped him on the shoulder. Edward didn’t have to say anything. Richard knew from the sly look that his brother knew he was thinking about Anne.

Cecily shook her head as she walked over to Richard and kissed him on the cheek. “ _THAT_ is from Anne, as is this” She handed him a small envelope. “She told me to tell you she can’t wait for you to see her, and that she is immensely happy.” He nodded, and watched his mother leave the room. Inside the envelope he saw a picture of them, kissing in the courtyard below, 2 days ago.

He sighed and looked around the room again. Robert was right – he was truly lucky. But he needed to clear his head. He walked over to the chair and got his jacket.

“It’s a little early yet to put that on,” Francis said. Richard replied, “I’m going for a little walk – I need to regroup before we get started. Don’t worry; I’ll be back in time.”

Francis suddenly looked concerned. “Are you ok? Let me come with you.”

Richard smiled at his best friend. He knew that Francis saw the look on his face when he mentioned his father. He was touched that his friend cared so much about him. “Really, I’m fine. I just need a few minutes. Anne needs to see me at my best.”

He smiled at the guys as he left room, and heard George grumbling something about the wimp his brother had become since he started dating Anne. His smile widened as he touched his cheek. _His beloved Anne..._

As he walked, he tried to pay attention to where he was. The castle was huge. Yes, he was getting married in a castle. He laughed to himself as he remembered when Anne had told him she wanted a destination wedding, and that she had already chosen the perfect place. He had to admit that it was most impressive, and suited her quite well. Once again, he was lost in thought, and stopped noticing where he was going.

He was smiling again as he turned the corner. He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. Standing at the end of the corridor, looking out the window into the courtyard below, was Anne. His heart skipped a beat. She truly was a vision, in a beautiful white lace gown, with a sparkling crown on her head, and a long veil covering her hair, which she had left down. It took his breath away.

And then he realized what had happened … he had seen her in the dress before the wedding. It was bad luck. He wasn’t particularly superstitious, like Edward’s wife Elizabeth & her mother, but THIS was a big deal. He could feel his heart racing, & NOT in a good way. That’s when the panic set in … How could he have done this? Why wasn’t he more careful? And then his mind went into overdrive … Would she trip walking down the aisle? Would she have a change of heart & run away? Would he hurt her? Would they not be able to have the big family that they both wanted? Would she realize after a few years that she doesn’t love him and divorce him? Would she die on him, like his father & brother? As quietly as could, he turned & went back the way he came. He couldn’t start out their life together like this, but he also didn’t know what to do…

Once he was out of sight, he ran back to the room where the guys were waiting. As he burst through the door, Edward laughed, saying, “You’re cutting it close, little brother. We need to go down to the chapel now.”

Francis took one look at his friend & knew something was wrong. “What happened? What’s the matter?”

The concern in Francis’s voice caused the rest of the guys to look at Richard. Even George seemed slightly worried.

“I can’t marry Anne! The wedding is off!” Richard cried. And before any of them could answer, Richard bolted out of the room, ran down the stairs & left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ann'e point of view ...

She was sitting at the vanity as the stylist finished her hair. “Are you really sure that you want to wear it down? It would look so regal if you pulled it up,” Nan said, looking disapprovingly at her daughter.

“She’s leaving it down for Richard. You know how much he likes her long hair falling over her shoulders,” Isabel said, smiling mischievously at her little sister.

The smile on Anne’s lips grew at the mention of his name. She was finally marrying him – _her Richard_. She’d been in love with him forever, and this day had arrived, at long last. She was so happy!

She glanced quickly at the clock – half an hour to go. She looked at herself in the mirror again. Thank god the makeup artist was there. She hardly slept at all last night, and it showed this morning. Yes, she was excited about the wedding, but sleeping in that empty bed was awful. She missed laying her head on Richard’s chest, falling asleep in his arms, waking up to his kisses. Every time she did manage to drift off, she dreamt of him, of _them_ , and woke right up. She didn’t realize that she had her closed her eyes and was smiling until she heard a knock at the door.

“Anne, darling? It’s Cecily. May I come in?” Isabel opened the door, and nodded. Cecily smiled sadly at her.

“Oh, Anne! You look so stunning!” Cecily cried. Anne stood up and walked over to her future mother-in-law. “Do you think Richard will like the dress? Will he think I look beautiful?” Anne asked giddily.

They all laughed – Cecily, Anne’s mother Nan, her sister Isabel, her dearest friend Veronica, her soon-to-be sister-in-law Elizabeth, and even Richard’s 2 young nieces, Elizabeth and Cecily, her flower girls.

“Anne, honey, Richard loves you. You could walk down the aisle in a green garbage bag and he would think that you were the most beautiful and sexiest woman on the planet,” said Veronica. Anne giggled as she hugged her best friend. “But _I HATE GREEN_!” shouted Anne, still chuckling.

She sat back down so the stylist could attach her veil. When she finished, Anne stood and walked to the full length mirror. She sighed. Finding this dress had been sheer hell. She lost track of how many shoppes they visited and how many dresses she had tried on. All the women in the room today had suffered through the arduous process with Anne. She had a vision, and nothing seemed to fit it. She remembered a conversation she had with Elizabeth about the dress. She told Anne not to settle – it was her day, and she should do what she wants. What she had wanted was to find a dress that suited her style but also pleased Richard. In her mind, this was _THEIR_ day, not just hers.

As she was cheerfully daydreaming about Richard, Cecily walked up beside her. “My little boy is so lucky to have you, Anne. You’re going to take his breath away in this dress.” “Have you seen him? Is he ok?” asked Anne, knowing that he was just as tired, and anxious, as she was. Cecily couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Not yet. Francis came to see me, though. He told me Richard keeps watching the clock, and that he can’t contain his nervousness and excitement. I’m going to see him next.”

“Izzy? Can you get me the envelope from the desk drawer?” Anne asked. Anne took the small envelope from her sister and handed it to Cecily. “Can you give him this? And a kiss on the cheek, from me?” Cecily smiled. It was so obvious how much they adored each other, and happy their life would be. She could only imagine what was in the little envelope! “Of course. I’ll see you in the chapel shortly.” She kissed Anne lightly on the cheek, and left to go see her son.

The photographer entered as Cecily was leaving, and took a few last pictures. When he left, Anne looked at the women in the room. They were lovely, especially the little girls.

As she glanced at the clock once more, she started feeling very nervous. “I’ll be right back. I just need a minute to myself,” Anne said.

“Are you all right, Annie?” her sister asked uneasily. “I’m fine. I just need to breathe,” Anne said.

“You aren’t going anywhere. In 15 minutes we have to go down to the chapel,” Nan said, slightly irritated.

Elizabeth stood, went to the bride, and took her hand. “Anne, you go and I’ll come to get you when it’s time,” Elizabeth said calmly, smiling at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Thank you, I won’t go far,” Anne said gratefully, and walked slowly out of the room. She stopped at the window at the end of the corridor which overlooked the courtyard below. She smiled, remembering the long, romantic walk she took with Richard two nights ago, before everyone else had arrived. Their early evening stroll had ended in that very courtyard. One of the staff had seen them kissing and took their photo. It was that picture which she sent to Richard in the envelope.

She closed her eyes, thinking about him. She was exceptionally blessed. And she couldn’t wait to see her handsome Richard in his tuxedo, his green eyes staring at her lovingly as she walked down the aisle. She sighed, for as much as she’d hated waiting all this time to be his wife, and as excited as she was about the wedding and the reception, all she truly wanted was to be alone with Richard, having only his eyes upon her, feeling his lips on hers, his hands on her…

She was so caught up in her dream that she didn’t hear the footsteps at the far end of the corridor …


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> many special thanks to annetheseamaiden for her prompt, guidance & encouragement!!

The guys just stood there, frozen, as if the Medusa had turned them to stone. George was the first to speak. “So I guess my little brother is more like _me_ than we thought,” he snickered.

Edward walked furiously over to his brother and punched him in the stomach. As George doubled over in pain, Edward screamed, “He is _NOTHING_ like you! You don’t even know what real love is! And if you don’t believe me, as poor Isabel!”

Robert rushed to restrain Edward from beating George into a pulp. He looked at Francis, who had remained motionless and silent to this point. “Francis? Francis!” he shouted.

Francis jolted awake from the shock that had overcome him. He knew Richard too well – something had definitely happened in the 15 minutes that he was gone. But what? WHAT??

Francis searched the room for Richard’s phone, but couldn’t find it. That was a good sign. He called him, but only got his voicemail. So he left a frantic message for his best friend. Then he texted him… Still no response.

Francis knew they had to act, and quickly. He yelled, “Grab your phones. Edward! Take George and search the castle. Ask the staff to help you. If you find him, tie him down and call me. Robert! Go down to the chapel and find Cecily. Pull her aside and tell her what happened. If you haven’t heard from me, then the two of you will have to decide what to tell everyone.”

Francis started to leave when Edward grabbed him. “Where are you going?” Francis turned with a grave look on his face, which frightened Edward even more. “I have to find Anne and stop her before she gets to the chapel.” With that, Francis sprinted out of the room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth found Anne still standing at the window. She turned, as she thought she heard the faintest echo of footsteps, but saw no one. “Anne, it’s time.”

They slowly went back to the room. Anne took her bouquet from her mother, and grinned. She loved white roses, especially after Richard had given her some on their first “official” date. Nan glanced at her daughter one last time before she led the others down to the chapel.

Isabel smiled at her sister. “You look radiant. I bet Richard cries when he sees you!” Anne looked at her, and smiled, almost sadly. She knew how hard this must be for Izzy, for she loved George but he kept just destroying her. “Do you really think so?” Anne asked joyfully.

Isabel was about to answer when she heard someone running down the corridor. “Anne! Anne!” It was Francis. Seeing him, Anne started to worry.

“What’s wrong? Is Richard ok? Is he sick?” pleaded Anne.

He gently took her hand and guided the sisters back into their room. Anne was almost in tears by now, as Francis had said nothing.

“Please sit down, Anne. I have to tell you something,” Francis said with a grim look on his face.

“What happened? Is he hurt?” whimpered Anne.

Francis took a deep breath, and started … “Richard loves you SO much Anne. He was very nervous. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect for you, especially him. So he went for a walk to calm down. He was gone about 15 minutes. When he came back, he was gasping for air, and he looked horrified. He told us the wedding was off, and then he ran.”

Anne could no longer control the tears. “WHAT! WHY?” she screamed.

“Did he say anything at all?” Isabel asked. Francis shook his head. “No, I told you exactly what he said. I know something occurred. There’s _NO_ way he would do this unless something really bad happened. I just can’t imagine what that is…”

Francis looked at Anne. There she was, on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, sobbing hysterically. He felt awful, and terribly helpless.  “I sent his brothers to look for him, and Robert is downstairs doing damage control.”

Anne sank to the floor, weeping uncontrollably. Isabel searched Francis’s face for some sign of hope, but only saw helplessness and despair in his eyes.

No one noticed Elizabeth standing in the doorway. “Francis?” She said as she entered the room. They all turned to see her, looking rather serious. “Can we speak privately for a moment?”

He started to get up, but Anne grabbed his hand. “Anything … that you … have to say … you can say … to me,” Anne said crying. Francis bent down and helped her back to the settee. She stared at Elizabeth, imploring her to tell her even the slightest bit of good news.

Elizabeth regarded Anne, and decided that she’d tell her of her suspicions. “When I came to find you, I thought I heard footsteps in the corridor, but I didn’t see anyone. That would’ve been around the same time that Richard was taking his walk. It’s possible that he saw you …”

Isabel laughed, rather sarcastically. “Are you serious? Richard isn’t a crazed, superstitious fool like you!” Elizabeth maintained her calm, and watched Anne for her reaction. She said nothing. She just continued to sit there, motionless.

“I don’t know,” Francis said, “If Richard had seen her, I think he would’ve said something.” Isabel stood and sneered at Elizabeth, “You are not helping the situation. I think you should leave. NOW.”

Francis could feel the tension rising rapidly between Elizabeth and Isabel. He couldn’t handle any more. “Elizabeth,” he said, “Can you please return to the chapel and check on everything? I’m sure things are beginning to turn ugly down there.”

Before leaving, she took Anne’s hand & whispered, “You know that I’m right. If you love him, truly, text me when realize what you need to do.” She nodded to Anne, then left.

Isabel got up and slammed the door after her. “I don’t believe her! She has the audacity to come up here and spew that idiotic nonsense! And what did she say to you? Annie!”

Anne still sat there, her red, swollen eyes fixated on the floor. She vaguely heard Isabel continuing her rant, and Francis trying to calm her down. As she withdrew even further, she began to ponder Francis’s and Elizabeth’s words …

Why did he leave? Where did he go? How could he do this to her? But… what if he did actually see her? What did he think? Why didn’t he come to her? Why didn’t he say anything?

And then suddenly, it hit her … Richard had listened to the whole ordeal about finding the perfect dress. He had smiled when she confessed that she wanted to be a vision just for him. He had laughed when she mentioned that she wanted him to love her dress as much as she did. Richard had endured weeks of this. He was by no means superstitious, but _this_ was a big deal, even for him. Besides, Richard had told her repeatedly how perfect he wanted this day to be for her. And she continuously reminded him that it was _their_ day, not just hers…

Honestly, she was furious with him. But it also reaffirmed how much Richard truly loved her. He must’ve believed that he had ruined everything. He must’ve been so distraught that he couldn’t even face her. And truthfully, how could either one of them have known what the other was planning to do?

It was in that moment that realized what she had to do …


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> many special thanks to annetheseamaiden for her prompt, guidance & encouragement!!
> 
> apologies! this last chapter is long!

Anne stood up and walked over to the desk, much to Francis and Isabel’s surprise. “Annie? What are you doing?” asked Isabel.

Anne didn’t reply as she removed her phone from the drawer and started texting someone.

“Hopefully he’ll answer you, because he didn’t reply to any of _my_ messages,” Francis said miserably.

Anne remained silent. She stayed at the desk until her phone beeped, indicating she had a new message. She took a deep breath as she read it. Then she hurried out of the room.

“Annie! Annie!” cried Isabel, but she didn’t stop. At the end of the corridor, she opened a door, and disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth had been down in one of the small rooms off the chapel. Edward, George, Cecily, Robert, Nan were also there. It had been nearly 30 minutes, and no one had heard from Francis, or Richard.

Cecily was becoming increasingly worried, and equally annoyed. Ever since Elizabeth returned, she kept checking her phone.

When it beeped, Cecily snapped. “Have a date?” she asked snidely. Elizabeth ignored her, and read the message. She smiled.

“Edward, I need your keys,” she told her husband. “Running off to meet him?” George asked sarcastically.

“Please, Edward?” Elizabeth asked. He looked at his wife closely. There was something in her eyes that warned him to do she asked. So he handed them over, and replied jokingly, “Call me if he doesn’t show.” She glared sideways at him and left.

They all looked at each other, and then at Edward. “I have no idea,” he said, without anyone saying a word. He hoped, rather dismally, that maybe the text had been from Richard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anne was already in the small grove alongside the courtyard when Elizabeth arrived. “I’m glad you finally realized that I was right,” she said.

“I’m not entirely convinced, but it’s the most plausible explanation. I need to find him. Francis told me he texted him, but Richard didn’t respond,” Anne said bleakly.

“Do you love him? Truly?” Elizabeth asked. “You know that I do!” cried Anne, desperately needing some hope.

Elizabeth reached into the pocket of her dress and removed a small charm. “Take this. Find Richard. When both of you are ready to return and get married, make sure you bring this with you to the altar. When the priest tells you to join hands so that you can say your vows, make sure the charm is in your hands, both yours and his. It will undo what he did.”

Anne stared at her, uncertain of what to do. Her heart pleaded with her to take the charm, but her brain was skeptical. As she was debating what to do, Elizabeth reached out, grabbed both her shoulders, and shook her. “Anne! This is no time to be rational! Go!” screamed Elizabeth.

“Even if I do find him, what if he still won’t marry me? And if he does, I don’t have anything to wear!” cried Anne, as the tears began to slide down her cheeks again. “Stop bawling! We all know that he truly loves you. Richard will marry you. He may just need a little extra convincing after what’s happened. And let me worry about a new dress,” Elizabeth said, somewhat exasperated.

“How do I find him? I don’t have a car,” Anne asked, trying to calm herself. “I took Edward’s keys. And given that neither one of you knows the area very well, he probably just drove straight out. You know his car – keep an eye out for it. If you haven’t seen it by the time you get into the next town, call me, and then go into a shoppe and inquire if anyone has seen him,” Elizabeth directed as she handed her the keys.

As Anne took the keys, she hugged Elizabeth. “I don’t know what to say …” Elizabeth smiled at her confidently. “You can thank me when you and Richard return.” Anne smiled, grabbed her veil and dress, and started running to the parking area.

Elizabeth watched as Anne got into Edward’s car and drove off. She turned and started back to the chapel. She strode in smiling, and stopped halfway down the aisle.

“Excuse me! On behalf of the bride and groom, I would like to thank you for your patience. We’ve had a few issues, but they are being resolved as I speak. The ceremony will proceed shortly.” Elizabeth then walked confidently into the small room.

“Did I hear you correctly? Cecily asked. “Have you found them?” Elizabeth looked at the whole group, which now included Isabel and Francis.

“They’ll be here soon,” Elizabeth replied. “Isabel, can you please come upstairs with me? I need your help with something.”

Isabel just glared at her. “You honestly expect me to help you? What did you say to Annie? And where is she?” Isabel yelled.

Elizabeth sighed, and said, “She went to get Richard. When they return, they will be getting married. And since Anne obviously can’t wear what she has on, we need to find her a new outfit. Are you coming, or do I have to do everything myself?”

Isabel was so stunned she couldn’t even say anything. Nobody else could either. Francis looked at her, saying, “How do you know what’s going to happen?” “I just know,” Elizabeth replied, and started out the door.

Isabel finally found her voice, and said, “Wait! You won’t know what Richard has seen her wearing. I’ll help you find something.” With that, the 2 women left the room, leaving the others more confused than ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Richard fled the castle, he ran to his car, and drove off. As Elizabeth was well aware, he didn’t know the area very well, and crying wasn’t helping either. He was only able to drive for about 6 miles before the tears had clouded his vision so badly that he could no longer see. He pulled over to the side of the road, got out, and walked into the adjoining meadow, where he collapsed to the ground, weeping. His heart was broken. He had destroyed Anne’s dream, their wedding day, and their life together. He couldn’t even imagine how furious she was with him. The thought of how devastated and wretched she must be just caused him more pain. Richard couldn’t bear it …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Anne started to drive, she tried collecting her thoughts. She really was livid. He ruined everything. But like she contemplated earlier, how could Richard have known that she would be in the corridor? The fact that he truly believed seeing her was bad luck, and he didn’t want to subject to such a horrid life was proof of how deeply he loved her … and it was equal to her love for him.

She hadn’t gone very far when she saw his car. She pulled off behind it and jumped out. His door was ajar, but he wasn’t inside. She was running around to the other side of the car when something caught her eye. She turned and looked out into the meadow.

Anne gasped. There he was, her beloved Richard, sitting on the ground in his tuxedo, with his face buried in hands.

“Richard!” she shouted as she ran into the meadow. “Richard!”

He had been so distraught, and still crying, that he never heard the car approach. He was so wracked with guilt that he thought his mind must be playing tricks on him, because he swore he heard Anne’s voice.

“Richard!” she cried, as she finally reached him. Her heart broke as he looked up at her for a moment, his eyes just as red and swollen from all the tears as she suspected hers were.

She fell to her knees to join him. He just sat there, silent. He couldn’t look at her. She touched his cheek softly, still wet, and smiled.

“Oh god, Anne!” Richard cried, as his head fell to her shoulder. “I am so very sorry! I needed to calm down … and I turned the corner …” his voice trailed off as he started sobbing again.

She gently caressed his back, and ran her fingers through his short hair. “I know … Francis told me what happened, and then Elizabeth told me what she suspected. It’s all right …” Anne said in a soothing voice.

Richard pulled away from her and looked deeply into her eyes. He was shocked. He had expected to see anger, disappointment, or hurt. What he saw was understanding, compassion, and love. “Why aren’t you screaming at me? Or hitting me? Or leaving me?” he asked, somewhat confused.

Anne looked at him, and smiled. “I am mad, and hitting you won’t help either one of us. We’re both to blame, and it’s no one’s fault. Neither one of us could’ve known what the other was doing,” she said calmly.

Richard was unable to respond, as he was still pretty stunned. After a few moments, he said sadly, “What are we going to do? We can’t get married. I ruined everything.”

Anne took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly. When he looked at her, her heart skipped a beat, the way it always did. She giggled. “Elizabeth is helping us. She’s going to find me something else to wear, and,” she paused, not quite sure how to tell him.

“And?” Richard asked, a hint of hope appearing in his voice. “And Elizabeth gave me a charm which will undo what happened,” Anne finished.

“You honestly think that will work?” he asked. She nodded, and kissed him again. “Yes, I do. So can we go now? I really want be Mrs. Richard York. I’ve waited long enough, don’t you agree?” she asked lovingly.

Richard kissed her, passionately. She sighed, smiling at him. “I truly don’t deserve you,” he said, helping her up.

“We belong together, and you know that. Remember when everyone was upset because I asked Elizabeth to be in the wedding party? I was compelled to do it, but I never knew why. Maybe this was this is the reason … we were going to need her help,” Anne said, taking his arm as they walked up to the vehicles.

When they reached the cars, he looked at her and laughed. “We must be quite a sight! It’s a good thing I have another suit!”

Anne touched his cheek again, and asked, “So do you like the dress?” Richard looked at her, and knew she was serious.

“Even though my opinion doesn’t matter, you look beautiful. When I saw you in the corridor, my heart stopped. You literally took my breath away…”

Anne hugged him fiercely, and said, “I’m so glad. Let’s go. We’ll take Edward’s car.”

They got into the car, and looked at each other. “I love you, Anne. I always have,” Richard said as he kissed her again. “I love you more,” she replied…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Richard pulled into the parking area and stopped the car. He heard Anne get out, and he smiled.

He loved her so much, and despite everything, she still loved him. He was so happy thinking about her that he never heard her approach his open window.

“Look at papa, with that silly grin on his face!” Anne said to the six month old baby cradled in her arms. Richard looked up at them, and exited the car.

“How did our boy enjoy his first road trip?” Richard asked, as the baby clamped on to his father’s finger.

They stood there with the baby as the staff came out to get take their luggage. Anne had been ecstatic when Richard surprised her for their first anniversary by planning a return trip to “their” castle.

The staff watched as the happy little family walked into the courtyard, and smiled, for they had planned a few surprises for them.

Richard and Anne strolled through the courtyard and into the expansive gardens. He had his arm around as she carried the baby.

He remembered the conversation in the car a year ago … he told her they could wait a few months and plan something else, giving her time to get a new dress … she told him that she’d be showing in probably another month … she laughed as they screeched to a halt and he started crying again, joyously … how stunning she’d looked in her blue dress walking down the aisle toward him.

He also remembered how he’d cried again when their son was born and how Anne wanted to name him Edmund, after his beloved brother.

Richard was awakened from his blissful memories by the feeling of Anne’s lips on his cheek. He turned to her, kissed her, and said, “I am truly happy, Anne, and it’s all because of you.”

She smiled, placed Ned in his arms, and hugged them both. “You are my heart and soul, Richard. And I love you more than you will ever know.”

As they kissed again, little Ned started babbling, causing his parents to smile and laugh, and revel in the joy of being a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed it!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you reading!


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